ARENA: Sharks Dominate Rage on Military Appreciation Night 71-6

JACKSONVILLE – The (7-0) Jacksonville Sharks defeated the (0-6) Corpus Christi Rage 71-6, leading the Sharks to beat their best starting record in franchise history.

Their best season was in 2013 with a 6-0 start when they played in the Arena Football League (AFL). This is their first season in the National Arena League.

As 8,146 fans stood on their feet to cheer for Military Appreciation Night, Mo Williams returned the first kickoff for a touchdown to give the Sharks an early 7-0 lead just seconds into the game. Corpus Christi struck right back with a long pass from Kyle Cool to Edward Victorian.

It wasn’t long until Williams had his second touchdown of the night, this one on a pass from Sharks starting quarterback Damien Fleming. Nick Belcher made his first deuce of the night on the kickoff. The Sharks defense blocked their first kick of the season, setting up an easy score for Derrick Ross. Nick Belcher kicked another deuce to end the first quarter 24-6.

The second quarter started off with Corpus Christi costing themselves two points as they were pushed back into the endzone by penalties, causing a safety in favor for the Sharks. Darryl Thompson scored the next touchdown on a pass from Fleming, the Sharks offense proving to be relentless on the Rage.

Nick Belcher scored his third deuce early in the second, upping the score to 35-6. The Rage were forced to punt, which was returned all the way to the endzone by Erick McIntosh. Both defenses held each other off for the rest of the quarter, ending the half 42-6.

In the third quarter, Jermiah Price stood out on the Sharks defense as he made his third and fourth sacks of the evening. Price is the only Shark to have four sacks in a game this season.

The Boss came through again with a huge run off of a pass from Fleming to score his second touchdown of the night. Belcher wasn’t done with the deuces, scoring his fourth of the night. Charlie Hunt scored a pick-six next, making the Shark Tank rock.

Second-string Sharks quarterback Daniel Farley gave Damien Fleming some well-deserved rest and made a short run into the endzone to give the Sharks a 58-point lead.

David Hyland showed the fans how he earned Defensive Player of the Week with an interception. Derrick Ross scored once again for his third touchdown of the night, ending the game with an impressive score of 71-6. The Sharks remain undefeated going into their eighth game.

Next, the Sharks will square off against the Monterrey Steel for Star Wars Night at the Shark Tank on Saturday, May 20 at 7 p.m.